It is possible to employ a lower firing voltage for a tubular gas discharge tube by using a thin tube having a circular cross-section, a flattened-circular or race-track shaped cross-section, or a rectangular cross-section, and forming, on the inner wall of the thin tube, a protection coating having a high electron emitting coefficient. A tubular gas discharge tube without a protection coating cannot be fired with a voltage of, for example, 500 V, but it can be fired with a lower voltage of, for example, 350 V and driven with a lower voltage if a protection coating is formed on the inner wall of the tube.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-265256 A published on Sep. 28, 2001, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,060 B, Tokai et al. disclose a display device having a screen formed of a substrate and a group of elongated light-emitters arranged on the substrate. On at least one lateral side of each light-emitter, an elongated electrode support with a plurality of electrodes arranged along the length direction of the light-emitter is disposed. A conductor pattern is formed on the substrate for supplying electricity to the electrodes on the electrode supports. Light-emission from the light-emitters is controlled by means of the conductor pattern and the plural electrodes.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-68214 A published on Mar. 7, 2003, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,704 B, Ishimoto et al. disclose a gas discharge display device, which includes a support, a plurality of thin discharge tubes with a phosphor layer therein, disposed in parallel side by side on the support, and signal electrodes disposed in contact with the outer surfaces of respective ones of the thin discharge tubes and extending in the length direction along the thin discharge tubes. The display device further includes a plurality of display electrode pairs each consisting of a scan electrode and a common electrode alternately disposed in contact with the outer surfaces of the respective discharge tubes opposite to the surfaces on which the signal electrodes are disposed. The display electrodes extend transverse to the thin discharge tubes. The thin discharge tube has a flattened-elliptic cross-section, with two flat opposing outer surfaces. The signal electrodes are disposed to contact one of the flat outer surfaces. Pairs of scan and common electrodes disposed close to each other are disposed on the other flat surface. One of the flat outer surfaces is supported by the support.